Love Melts Ice into Water
by DarkPoisonousLove
Summary: Juvia's love has always flown like a river while Gray is more reserved and distant in that regard, much like the ice he makes with his magic. One feeling expressed in two different forms. How much can it really differ? My entries for Gruvia Week 2019. Rating T to be safe.
1. Day 1 - Favorite Gruvia moment

**A/N: ****A very short ficlet written around the moment when Juvia tells Gray that his father died because of her. My interpretation on Juvia's emotions at that moment that is so special for me.**

The fresh snow crunched under her feet, the sounds sharp like shards of glass, slashing at her mind and dissecting it to pieces. She'd followed him back to where he'd lost his family to add more pain to his life. She'd gone to destroy any possible future the two of them could have together. Just like she'd destroyed his father. It was all she'd ever done. It was all she was good at. Destroying relationships and pushing people away. It hadn't been her rain that had driven everyone away. It had been her. It was her fault that everything she touched decayed, drowned in her excessive love.

She wanted to cry but she couldn't. She didn't have the right to. It was Gray who'd lost his father. Because of her. And the thought of the pain she'd caused him turned her heart into an ice cube. It was better that way. She no longer had the right to love Gray but at least she'd still have a piece of him. It was all she'd have left once she told him what she'd done. And it would stop her from hurting others with her love again. She would love no longer but at least others would be safe from her. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

Still, even with the impenetrable ice around her heart, she felt the tears coming, spilling freely from her eyes while she had to force the words out of her throat – each and every one of them feeling like an icicle clawing its way out. They tore at her and left her in shards only to find their way to Gray and rip his heart apart too. And they did. He fell apart in her arms, crying into her chest and sobbing out his gratitude. And she held him close, his body's warmth seeping into her as he accepted her consolation. And she was overflowing with love again, her tears falling together with his.


	2. Days 2 & 3 - Surprise & Devotion

**A/N: ****Just a short thingy that popped in my head and I couldn't resist writing it. Combining Days 2 and 3 because it fits both prompts. Fluff to the max.**

"Are you ready?" Gray asked as he pulled Juvia to a stop.

"Mhm," she nodded, the movement a bit clumsy with his hands covering her eyes.

"Open your eyes," he removed his hands so that she could see her surprise that was waiting for her in the middle of the living room.

Juvia gasped, her hands flying up and covering her mouth when she saw the ice statue in front of her. It was a statue of her with that decisive look on her face that Gray had told her he adored.

"I made it myself," he whispered in her ear.

He'd carved it from a block of ice he'd created with his magic. He could've used his powers to shape the ice too but he'd wanted to do that himself, with his own two hands. He'd meant it when he'd told her he cared about her body. And since then, he'd had a lot of time to learn every curve of it and explore every inch of her skin. He'd spent hours memorizing every last detail of her body so that he could recreate it perfectly. It was his way to show her how much he appreciated her being at his side at all times and how happy he was that she'd chosen to be his. He was grateful to have her every day and that was why he hadn't waited for a special occasion to surprise her. Every day was special when she was with him.

"Do you like it?" he asked since she was very quiet. Even uncharacteristically so.

She whipped around to look at him, her eyes full of tears. "I love it, Gray-sama!" she yelled excitedly and threw herself at him, causing them both to topple to the floor.

He groaned when his back hit the ground but the smile on Juvia's face above him was enough to make him forget the pain of the collision. He cupped her cheek. "I'm glad you do," he said, his thumb stroking her skin.

Juvia braced herself against the floor with one hand while the other one covered his. "I also have a surprise for you," she said, pink rushing into her cheeks.

"What is it?" he asked, her blush piquing his interest.

Juvia bit her lower lip and sat up, straddling him. Her free hand found his and she drew it to her body, placing both their hands on her stomach.

Gray's eyes widened and he looked from her face to her stomach and then back to her face. "Are you..." he trailed off, the thought too good to be true and he didn't dare say it.

Juvia nodded gingerly, looking afraid of his reaction.

His eyes filled with tears and he pulled her closer, burying his face in her stomach. "Hello there, baby," he spoke, his words muffled by her clothing. His hand moved over her tummy gently and protectively. "I'm your dad and I'm gonna take such good care of you and your mom," he looked up at Juvia to see her smiling at him, her hand stroking his hair. "You'll see," he said, turning to the baby inside her again, his palm still moving over her stomach. He couldn't wait to see it grow and feel the baby kick under his hand. That was the only change in Juvia's body he could wish for.


	3. Day 5 - Heartache

**A/N: ****Here's a short thingy for day 5. This one tried to turn into a poem at one point but that just wouldn't do.**

All her life her heart hurt, with loneliness and rejection carved deep into it, causing blood to spill from the scars. Her soul wept because no one would look at her twice. Her mind screamed for a bit of mercy but there was none. Her parents had abandoned her as a baby, the kids at the orphanage had been nothing but cruel, every potential love interest had inevitably left, driven away by her rain. And every rejection, every mean word and every hateful look only made the heartache stronger and the wounds deeper and caused more blood to spill from the scars and more more tears to spill from her eyes. The rain poured down stronger in a cry for help, in a try to wash away the pain. And she drowned in sorrow, drowned in pain, drowned in heartache and her rain.

But when Gray saved her life, it was a different kind of heartache. Water met ice and the sun shined in her eyes, blinding her with its bright light. Her heart was ready to burst from the joy and relief that filled her. For the first time she felt happiness flooding her heart instead of sadness spilling from it. The aching emptiness inside her was gone, overflowing with her love for Gray that was hot and burning – just like the sun rays on her pale skin. The cold of the Rain Woman had evaporated without leaving a trace behind. Only Juvia who could feel the warmth of the sun and of Gray's touch. And her entire being ached with relief from the burden of her sadness and her pain, from her tears and her rain.


	4. Day 6 - Comfort

Juvia had come to appreciate scars. They were signs of trauma, pain and suffering, yes. But with all the bad came something beautiful too. Scars marked the body with the tragedies of your past but also told the story of your life and your strength, of the things you'd overcome.

She'd been learning Gray's story as he'd been allowing her to see more and more of his scars. Those on his body were small, barely visible - you had to look really close to see them. They told stories about his training with Ur and Lyon, his fights with Natsu, his inevitable loses against Erza. They all spoke of companionship and love, even if it was accompanied by a bit of hurt.

The scars on his soul ran much deeper though. Those were the ones that had tried to destroy him. But he hadn't let them, and he wore them like a proof of his strength and good nature instead. They were proof that he had kept the kindness and love in his heart despite all the pain and trauma he had been through. They were deep and ugly but he had managed to turn them into something beautiful, and for that Juvia would always admire him.

And she had scars of her own. For the entirety of her life her body had been inaccessible to injuries, turning into water every time something threatened to leave a mark on it. But her soul had never had a means of defending itself from all the hurt. Her past had left its mark and she hadn't been able to find her place in the world, the wounds making it too painful to even try. But Gray had found her and Fairy Tail had become home. She fought for the guild and her heart never hurt, even when her body did. And she loved Gray to the point where she was willing to die for him. But she was still alive with only the memory and a scar to remind her that they'd both gotten through that. Their love had survived and they were free to be together, both of them marked with a promise of how strong their feelings for each other were. And she loved that scar for it brought her great comfort and reassurance that their love would survive no matter what was thrown at it.

Gray did not share her feelings on the matter though. His eyes filled with terror and his touch became timid every time he saw the scar. He had watched her die and it had scarred him for life. And she knew that even if the physical evidence was gone, he'd still be haunted by the memory. Healing the scars on their bodies would do nothing to erase the pain they'd been subjected to. They could only hold on to each other and revel in the knowledge that they were still together even despite that. So she always pulled him closer and the warmth of her embrace seemed to comfort him when nothing else could.


	5. Day 7 - Moment that made you ship Gruvia

**A/N: ******A short piece written around the moment when Gray and Juvia met as my last entry for this Gruvia week. It was a truly beautiful moment and sort of a fairytale meeting without it being too cheesy or cliche and it won my heart in favor of Gruvia.****

Kindness. All she ever wanted was a bit of kindness. Just to feel like she was wanted, like she wasn't a burden, like somebody could love her. But that was the problem – no one could. Not her parents who hadn't wanted her and had chosen to abandon her. Not any of the people she had ever met – they all wanted her to go away and take the rain and gloom with her. Not even herself. How could she be kind to herself when no one else was? How could she love herself when everyone wanted her gone?

No, not her. The rain. Her rain. It was the rain that they hated, the gloom it brought along, the inconveniences that it caused. So she prayed for the rain to go away. She wanted it gone just like everyone else did. Even more. But, somehow, it only seemed to get worse. Because deep down she knew that the rain was a part of her. How could she be the Rain Woman otherwise?

For a while she'd been happy in Phantom Lord. They accepted her for who she was. That was a reason to be happy. Yet, the rain still didn't go away. It couldn't. She couldn't let it go. Because it was the Rain Woman who was welcomed in Phantom Lord, and not Juvia.

Then Gray saved her life – even though she was the enemy – and showed her that her life was worth it, showed her that someone could care for her, showed her that bit of kindness she'd been seeking all along but couldn't find, not even in herself. And the rain went away. The sun was blinding her and scorching her pale skin that had never seen the sunlight before but it felt divine. That was the unbearable heat of kindness. It made all those lonely nights and cold tears seem unreal. And her heart felt warm for the first time.


End file.
